How New York jails are organized
Each county in New York runs its own jail, and each has its own page here. New York City’s jail system (DOC, including the Rikers Island complex) is not a county sheriff roster like upstate. Long Island is Nassau and Suffolk — two sheriffs. Westchester is Valhalla. Upstate giants are Erie (Buffalo), Monroe (Rochester), Onondaga (Syracuse), and Albany. Those are different doors from Rikers. Albany is the state capital, but arrests are booked in the county where they happen.
NYC DOC is a city department. Upstate and suburban counties use sheriffs’ jails. NYS DOCCS (Attica, Clinton, Bedford Hills) is state prison. NYPD precincts are not the Rikers roster. This site currently has live roster pages for 5 of 62 counties (6 jail pages, 44,492 records tracked). The other 57 counties have a jail information page with lookup steps and contacts; until a roster feed is connected, the sheriff or detention center is the official source for who is in custody there.
Finding someone in a New York jail
NYC has inmate lookup through DOC. County sheriffs publish their own. We never merge Rikers with Nassau. There is no single statewide jail roster. If you know the county, open its roster above and search by name or charge. If you only know the city of arrest, find which county the city is in first.
NYC has Criminal Court and Supreme Court in each borough. Nassau and Suffolk have county courts. A Brooklyn arraignment is not a Nassau booking. Town courts upstate handle many misdemeanors. The courthouse and the jail are often in different buildings. Confirm the facility name on the booking paperwork or with the attorney before you travel.
Bond, visits and money in New York
New York’s bail-reform statutes changed who is eligible for money bail; practice still varies by charge and county. NYC and Erie County are not the same window. Do not copy a 2018 blog. Bond amounts shown on a roster can change after the first court appearance. CurrentPrisonList does not post bail or accept payments.
Rikers visit rules are DOC’s, with ferry/bus logistics. Nassau’s East Meadow is a Long Island drive. Erie County’s downtown Buffalo jail is not Attica. Video options differ. Dress codes, video-visit providers and appointment times are set by each jail. Check the sheriff's website on the day of the visit.
Travel and common mistakes in New York
JFK, LGA, and EWR serve the city and still leave a Rikers or borough last mile. ISP and HPN serve Long Island and Westchester. BUF, ROC, SYR, ALB for upstate. New Jersey airports do not create a Hudson County, NJ visit on this page. Take the jail address from the sheriff's website or from the contact section of the county page, not from a generic map search.
A common mistake: searching a borough name as a county sheriff jail, or driving to Attica for a city case still in DOC custody at Rikers. Neighboring states have their own state pages on this site.